Savannah city officials are considering rules to protect carriage horses from the oppressive heat.

The tourist-toting horses' well-being comes up just about every summer when temperatures and humidity combine to make a risky outdoor experience.

Cheryl Flanagan of the Georgia group Save the Horses says, horses kept on Southern streets suffer more than those able to escape to barns and shady spots on farms.

"They're vegetarian animals. They sweat. They try to cool off just like we do," Flanagan says. "If you look at their nostrils, they'll flare like a runner because they're overheated. They could die within a few hours, just like we could."

City officials say, so far, no carriage horse has died from the heat.

But they haven't ruled out a "maximum temperature" for carriage horses to work.

Other cities like Charleston and Atlanta already limit horses on the streets when it gets too hot.

Officials are meeting with tour companies and hope to have a proposed rule in a few weeks.

Tags: tourism, Savannah, GPB News, horses, Cheryl Flanagan, Save the Horses, animal welfare